Loulou's views

One of the greatest joys of motherhood is watching your children develop into little people, with their very own personalities. I find it fascinating to see the differences—and similarities—between my two boys. I love watching them interact, and play with one another, too. My youngest son is active, determined, smart, funny and absolutely adorable. He always knows how to get his way with his big brown eyes and killer smile. My oldest son is my gentle bookworm. Never-ending questions about science, geography, and the history of the world, he is the inquisitive kid. His latest fascination? Money. And gold. He has started a coin collection, and has learned how to count money; he knows the value of a dollar way more than I do. He also (and this is kind of scary) knows the periodic table of elements. One look at the elements when I was in grade 11 Chemistry, and I was in the guidance office begging to taking another English class. So what does my little Alex P. Keaton five year old ask fo...

After I graduated from university, I moved to Washington D.C. and completed an internship at CBS TV. I was independent and loving life in the most powerful city in the USA. I'd take the subway to work and hang out at the coolest places with my best friend in the evenings. Living essentially alone, I'd have to cook for myself, too, which was new territory for me since this was the first time I was 'on my own'. I know, I lived a pretty sheltered life! As you know, cooking is not my forte. One night in D.C., I was baking cookies and I set off the fire alarm. Moments later, the fire trucks arrived—sirens wailing and all. In walked three cute firemen, and I admitted that I was baking cookies and somehow set off the alarm. Of course, everyone laughed along with me. Or at me? Anyway. That was my cue to exit the kitchen and eat out as much as possible until I moved back home. Lucky for me, I got married shortly after and super lucky for me, my husband is an excellent cook. No...

When I heard that the Marilyn Denis show was looking for moms who can't say 'no' to be on a parenting segment last week, I jumped at the chance. I am that mom - the mom who too easily gives in to her children and the mom who has a hard time saying no. The producer let me know that a camera crew would be at my house the next day, to shoot me and my boys 'in action'. A day after the shoot, I took the train to Toronto and was put up at the InterContinental Hotel. My hotel room was gorgeous, with ceiling to floor windows and amazing views of downtown Toronto, a city I love more and more each time I'm there. Erica and Cora met me for drinks at the hotel bar, and we had a great time chatting it up before I went to bed at 1 am. (My usual bedtime. God, I lack sleep.) Sleeping all by myself in a king-sized bed was heavenly, although I did miss my little one's toes in my face when I woke up at 6 in the morning! I enjoyed a delicious room service breakfast, (thanks ...

There are quite a few things that I'm good at. For instance, I'm good at spending money, shopping, loving my children, and I am the queen of procrastination. I'm also good at getting my way, most of the time. Of course, there are some things I'm not good at, too. I'm not good at cooking, or baking. I'm not good at not worrying. And I'm terrible at saying 'no' to my boys. I've written about this before , and many of you commented that I should start becoming more firm with my children. I appreciated all your comments, truly. However, almost one year later, I'm still not able to really say 'no' to my boys. I do try, it's just... they don't listen, and I give in to their every demand. It's not that my children are really misbehaving - they're wonderful, most of the time - it's me, not being able to say no, and letting them get away with whatever they want. For instance, if we go to Chapters, my youngest son runs st...

I'm so ready for spring and summer. I am in a perpetual state of depression in the winter. I'm actually ready for spring on January 2nd, right after the holidays. One week of swimming in the ocean in sunny Florida, as wonderful as it is, is just not enough for someone like me, someone who loves wearing summer dresses and feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. While I'm ecstatic that March is here, just looking at the fresh pile of snow outside makes me want to cry. I'm not motivated to work out like I am once the weather starts improving, but I drag myself, knowing that warmer days are ahead. This past week I've been taking care of my children. They've had fevers that lasted almost an entire week, runny noses, and bad coughs. When my children are sick, I operate on autopilot. I worry more than I should, make frequent visits to the doctors office, and turn my bedroom into a nurse's station. I have survived on very little sleep these last few days, and had ...

Thanks to Crystal Light for sponsoring this post. To learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors, visit facebook.com/crystallight . Being a mom is a 24 hours a day job. Add a full-time 9 to 5 career into the equation, and you're left with almost no time for anything else. Going out with friends, hitting the gym, shopping, taking the children to their after-school activities, cooking and staying on top of the housework are all things we have juggle. I don't know about you, but I sure could use a few extra hours every day. I spend as much time as I can with my family when I'm not working, because my family is always priority number one for me. However, I always try to take time for myself, too. It's so important to put yourself first sometimes, don't you agree? It's the little things that you can do ahead of time that will give you a few extra minutes for yourself, allowing you that extra moment just for you, so you can actua...

Remember when the days were long And rolled beneath a deep blue sky Didn't have a care in the world With mommy and daddy standing by When "happily ever after" fails And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales... Don Henley When you're looking for clues as to why you turned out the way you did, all you have to do is look to your childhood to get the answers you're trying to find. Almost everything can be traced back to your childhood. I can pinpoint the start of my anxiety attacks to a specific day—a specific event —from when I was only six years old. What was supposed to be a nice afternoon out with my father turned out to be a traumatic day, one that left me in tears and filled with sadness. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I was dressed appropriately in a yellow dress, white sweater, and brand-new white sandals. I kissed my mom good-bye as she headed off to work, and I left with my father. A father-daughter day. Just perfect! We were about to see a really...